Bengaluru’s Insect Cafes bring back its buzz

If you live in an apartment (as most of us do), it is easy to understand how it takes all kinds to make any world — the brash and the hardworking, the domineering and the docile, where each type plays a part.

The analogy is quite apt when one wants to describe the Insect Cafe. Despite its name, the cafe is in reality, a structure of bamboo constructed with smaller “apartments” where different insects can nest. Conceptualised by WHO, it was adapted in Bengaluru by David Kumar, CEO, Vibhinna India Foundation, an organisation that works towards creating a sustainable planet.

The idea behind the Insect Cafe was to provide a safe zone where wasps, bees and other winged creatures could nest securely and build their colonies. In the ecological sphere of things, the presence and propagation of insects is imperative to life on Earth. Apparently, Bee Movie is not just a figment of animated imagination or a stretch of artistic license, but an actual take on ecological balances.

Home away from home

Human habitation, economic activities, massive construction and felling of trees are the biggest disruptors of microsystems. Thankfully, over the years, a certain awareness about the environment has crept into our lives and most of us do our bit by planting where we can, supporting lake ecosystems and making sustainable choices.

“While a lot is being done in the areas of conservation, over the years, insects have been neglected despite their important role in pollination and ecology. They play a vital part in food security — unless they pollinate we will not have a yield; our health and nutrition is linked to their well being,” says David Kumar.

The entire thought process behind this project was to create something visible that people could see and relate to. It took about eight to nine months to ideate and the team installed a small cafe to begin with in Lalbagh and the Lingambudhi Botanical Garden in Mysore.

After observing positive developments, David reached out to corporates and they proceeded to launch nine more cafes in Lal Bagh, two in Cubbon Park and nine at the Doddasaggare Botanical Garden near Koratagere in Tumkur, Karnataka, with six more planned for Madiwala Lake.

EY Global Delivery Services was one of the corporates that supported this initiative. According to Rumi Mallick Mitra, director, Corporate Responsibility, EY Global Delivery Services, the team realised the need for a more innovative approach for some issues that were not getting addressed.

“One of those issues was the bee population and overall insect population. If you see the data globally, there is a decline not only in insect diversity, but also in their annual population in a fairly big way. Though it may seem like a small percentage, it has a huge impact on the ecosystem. Some of these insects are important pollinators — without them the food chain will be impacted,” says Rumi.

Though the structure in Lal Bagh was placed for the purpose of demonstration and to catch the public eye, it is still a full-fledged cafe. “Environmental protection is a lot about behavior and our primary focus is to drive behavioral change. This area sees a lot of foot fall from students and this community is conscious about the environment,” says Rumi, adding that the simple structure of the cafe might inspire others to try something similar or on a smaller scale in their neighbourhoods.

“We started the venture with eight of these cafes in different secluded areas of the lake in Lalbagh as water attracts a lot of different species and these spots were selected by the Horticulture Department,” she adds.

Almost all of these cafes have been installed in secluded areas to minimise human interference.

Structure

The cafe mimics the shape of an igloo with a domed top that tapers down to sluice rainwater off. One can see as many as 19 compartments or “apartments” of different sizes within the cafe, furnished with twigs of varying sizes and soil, for honeybees, mason bees, wasps and ants.

“Certain sections have been created with holes because some insect species prefer burrowing into closed spaces, which are covered at the top to create a crevice. We have tried to provide the closest match to their natural choice of habitat. We are also adding local weeds around the area to attract more butterflies and insects to that spot,” says David.

On observing positive differences, over a period of six months, the team made provisions to lure mud nesting wasps to the cafe, “to add to the diversity,” of its inhabitants.

According to David, similar structures have been erected in Mexico, Canada, Germany and other places to create insect homes. The ideation, structure and construction of the cafe was created by the team here in consultation with other entomologists too.

Harmony in ecology

“Within a five-metre radius of this cafe, one can find a minimum of 10 to 15 different types of insects — either under a stone or buzzing around the plants. Keeping this in mind, we created the structure in such a way that it would provide all of them with the type of shelter that suited their needs,” says David.

According to Ramegowda G, an entomologist and professor of Horticulture in Mysore, “the cafe is great for educational purposes, especially in the urban ecosystem.”

“Insects are important for pollination and biodiversity. They were on earth long before humans invaded their space; we copied the idea of tunnels, canals and even seeding for agriculture, from these creatures,” says Ramegowda.

However, he is cautious in his praise. “This is a new arena and offers great scope for basic study and in creating awareness. But, it is still too early to comment on overall impact in a region. This is not just in regard to pollination but with respect to other insect-eating life forms such as birds, frogs and reptiles like lizards.”

Nothing in Nature happens overnight, and definitely not the replenishing of any resource that has been depleted. Still it is heartening to hear David say the team had observed the cafe for a period of six months and saw how insects took to the structure. “We noticed around 15 to 20 species of insects that have sheltered at the cafe and we are working on the impact report,” he says, adding that red cotton bugs, argiope anasuja spiders, carpenter bees and leaf cutter bees are among the insects that have been spotted there.

It takes about 15 days for the construction of each cafe and Vibhinna India Foundation recruits women from the tribal community at Heggadadevanakote taluk for the task, providing them with a source of income.